Backyard burial upsets family's neighbours
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A family has upset neighbours by burying a relative in the back garden of their house. Abu Bakar Ahmed Suleman was buried in a garden in Lansdowne Road, near Luton town centre, in an Islamic ceremony last Thursday night.
A family has upset neighbours by burying a relative in the back garden of their house. Abu Bakar Ahmed Suleman was buried in a garden in Lansdowne Road, near Luton town centre, in an Islamic ceremony last Thursday night.
People living near by have now asked the council to have the body exhumed and reburied in a cemetery.
Burying the dead in the back garden is legal and is becoming increasingly common. But the close proximity of a body does not always please neighbours.
Staff at Chasewood Care Home, which is next door to the garden in Lansdowne Road, said they were astonished when they saw the open casket being taken into the garden.
"The whole thing gives me the creeps and I know the residents here are very upset. It would be better if the body was moved to a cemetery," said the manager of the home, Terri Tomas.
"When I called the police they said they couldn't do anything to stop it taking place because it wasn't illegal." The council's environmental health department had allegedly advised the family not to go ahead with it.
A spokeswoman for Luton Borough Council said it had no powers to prevent a burial on private land, provided various criteria were met. These include planning permission for memorial structures, an application for change of use to a graveyard if more than two bodies were buried and burials of at least 3ft deep.
The spokeswoman said the home owner should also inform the local authority, marking and detailing the whereabouts of the grave.
Nicholas Albery, the editor of The New Natural Death Handbook, said: "We advise against burial in private gardens, unless it is a huge estate. It can cause dissension with neighbours, members of the family and may reduce the value of the property."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments